Chapter 4 "The Picture."

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon, that genious, owns it all.

Synopsis: Spike's been pushed too far by Buffy, so he leaves Sunnyhell. While there, he meets up with Peaches...err....Angel, and they have a little talk.

Distribution: Just email me and let me know! I'd be honored! (Darksaiyajin_26@hotmail.com)

Little side notes: Lady Emma? Thanks for the suggestion! I'm taking it under heavy consideration, and thanks to everyone else for their suggestions. I just hope you'll continue to read the story no matter what the "pairing" is.

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"Are you sure we should be doing this? Listening in on a conversation between two Vampires?" Wesley asked, as he, Cordelia, Gunn and Fred had their right ears pressed against the door, listening to Angel and Spike's conversation.

"I think we'll be okay," Cordelia snapped. "One of them has a soul and the other one has a chip. He couldn't hurt us!"

"Hey, Cheerleader," came a british voice. "I'd much appriciate it if you could keep your evesdropping to a minimum please!"

"How does he do that?" Fred whispered.

"Vampires got real good hearing luv," Spike replied from the other side of the door. "Don't you four have something better to do?" Cordelia shouted back a reply, and Wesley herded them to the upstairs level, where they began to play a round of Clue.

"You didn't have to do that, you know," Angel said, leaning against the wall.

"Sure I did," Spike protested, shrugging. "Do you have the Ring of Amara? I know Buffy gave it to you. She'd want her first love to have what I worked so hard to get."

"Yes," Angel replied, without hesitation. "It arrived a few days after that happened. I used it once, just to remember what it felt like to be in the sun. After that, I put it away. I didn't want to use it anymore. It just didn't feel right."

Spike nodded absently, as he sifted through the papers that were on Angel's desk. Angel's heart began pounding faster, fearing that Spike would find the picture that he had drawn a while back. The vampire known as Angelus had been thinking about Spike/William for a long time, remembering their galavanting throughout Europe, most often without Darla or Drusilla. One time in particular came to Angel while Spike continued to snoop through the many papers that cluttered up Angel's desk...

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*Barcelona, Spain, 1893*

William the Bloody, or as he was called now, Spike, sat on the ledge, looking out at the moon-lit water. It had been 13 years since he had been turned, sired by Drusilla, and she had gone out with Darla, whoever the bloody hell that was, leaving him with Angelus. He was incredibly young, for a vampire, and Angelus...Angelus had had such an after-life, his reputation well known. Slowly, he took out a peice of paper, and began to write a small poem:

He walks with purpose,
death on his fingers,
His smile, demonic,
the fear he brings, it lingers.

I'm drawn to him,
The power, and his eyes,
they hold such a story,
they are the blackest skies.

Am I strange?
Can I love?
Vampires have no souls,
unlike the pure-white dove.

Spike folded the peice of paper, making a small personal note to save that for later. It was better than his poetry that he wrote when he was William. Wait, wasn't he William now? No, he wasn't. (I haven't acted like William since that soddin' freak show Dru came and killed him. Turned him into a vampire who likes to torture innocent people with road spikes. But I don't feel any guilt. Only pleasure. Angelus better not find me. I don't want to bloody explain myself to him. I'll never hear the end of it. I better make sure that he doesn't find this poem either.)

"What are you doing out here?" Spike cursed loudly as he turned around, seeing Angelus *right* behind him. "Weren't you going out to eat?"

"Not hungry," Spike muttered. He moved over, as Angelus sat down beside him. "Besides, I ate earlier tonight, and I just came out here to think."

"About what?" Angelus asked, looking out at the water. "About what you were? What you are now? What you're going to do in the next century?" He chuckled, and Spike looked at him with a quizical look. "Why are you looking at me like that? Did you think I was completely without a sense of compassion?"

"Your repuation preceeds you, Sire," Spike said, letting out a small sigh and shifting so he could slip the peice of paper into his coat. He then realized that Angelus had given him the coat when he first came along on this romp through Europe. "Angelus. Scurge of Europe. You don't exactly have a rep of bein' bloody compassionate."

Angelus laughed, and Spike looked shocked. It was the first time since he had met Angelus that the vampire had laughed. It was a true laugh, not the sadistical ones Spike often heard when the older Vampire tortured his victims. "I like this attitude of yours, William. I *really* like it." Spike raised an eyebrow, questioning the elder Vampire's meaning in his words. "I don't usually dance around what I want to do, Spike--" Suddenly, he grabbed the younger Vampire, and crushed his lips to Spike's. Everything exploded--the lights, everything became a blur--and Angelus slipped in his very experienced tongue, and Spike didn't pull away.

Only after a few minutes, Spike broke the kiss. Everything was spinning in his mind. What did he just do? Did Angelus just...he did. He kissed *him*. "I....I had no bloody idea you went that way, Peaches!!!" The 'Peaches' just came out. Like the demon in Spike was classifying his Sire as a poof...a weakling.

"You didn't like?" Angelus asked, looking a little bit hurt.

"I d--yes, I did, but...what about Darla?" Spike questioned, standing up.

"What about her?" Angelus returned, standing up also, facing Spike. "She doesn't care. Neither does your special Drusilla. Just remember this, William. You and I, we're the same. No matter how far you go, or who you fall in love with, you're mine."

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Angel swallowed, shuddering inside, remembering the exact words that he had told Spike, just thirteen years after his turning. He was just a duckling, really, in the world of Vampires. But he had grown into his own, and became powerful, just like Angel had perdicted. Then he tore away from his Sire, doing his own thing with Drusilla. Then there was Buffy.

It was like the two were connected with their pain, which liked back to the blond Slayer in Sunnydale. He himself had left because he wanted Buffy to have a chance at a normal life, without a broody Vampire that caused her nothing but pain. Spike, he had left because she pushed him over the line. She was denying what she really felt, if she had felt anything at all, but he couldn't take it. He wasn't going to be anyone's whipping boy, and no one knew that better than Angel.

He was broken from his thoughts by Spike's surprised cry. "Cor!" Before Angel could question on what he had found, Spike thrusted the parchment into Angel's face. "Would you care to explain what the bloody hell is this?!"

"Well...you see, it's a funny story..." Angel let out a small, nervous chuckle, but Spike's face didn't look too amused.

"Tell me, mate. Tell me what's so bleedin' funny," Spike said, sitting down in the chair at Angel's desk. "I'm in the need for some humor."

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Buffy stood up from the wet grass, and looked at the tombstone. "Thanks for listening, mom. I know why Spike comes to talk to you so much." She smiled, then got a determined look on her face. "For once in my life, I'm going to do what I should've done." Buffy pulled out her cellphone, and dialed home. "Dawnie? Hey, wait, don't hang up!"

"What do you want?" Dawn sounded totally bitter, and Buffy knew that the young woman had a perfect right to be.

"I want to tell you I'm going to find Spike," Buffy said, trying to keep her voice stable.

"Don't you think you've humilated him enough?" Dawn spat.

"Okay, deserved that. Now listen. I'm going to find him, and apologize...I also need to tell him something else," Buffy told her.

"Like what?" Dawn asked, sounding interested.

"Don't know, still working on it," Buffy let a small laugh go, and heard Dawn chuckle too. "I'm going to swing by for a few things, but then I'm hitting the road."

"Buffy?"

"Yeah?"

"It's about damn time!" Dawn yelled, before hanging up. Buffy stared at it for a few minutes, in shock that Dawn had done such a thing.

(Becoming more like Big Sis every day,) Buffy thought warily, clicking off her cell, and stashing it in her pocket. (Gotta find a way to stop that before it becomes a problem.) She looked up at the full moon, and swallowed. "Spike..." Taking another deep breath, Buffy broke out into a sprint, running at full speed home. She burst into her home, grabbing a backpack, and stuffing it with clothes, her wallet, and a few other little traveller items. After saying a quick good bye to Dawn, Buffy ran to her car, throwing the backpack to the passenger seat, and backed out of the driveway. She hit the gas, and tore out of there.

Dawn smiled, the grin stretching from ear to ear. "It's about damn time, you did this, Buffy. I just hope you reach him in time..." She quickly shut the drapes, and ran upstairs to record this in her journal. "Those two are perfect for each other. Even if they drive each other insane." She closed her eyes, after writing everything down in her journal, just imagining what the reunion would be like. It would be all romantic, with music and everything! "Nah!" Dawn laughed, throwing her journal under her bed. "Nothing is EVER normal with Spike and Buffy!"

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Author's Notes: How do you guys like? Is it any good? Suggestions, as always, are very much welcome! Like I said, first time in Buffy fanfiction, and I'm thrilled that it's getting such a good response. Now, how do I further infuriate you guys? ^_^* Review please!!